A teacher has been beheaded in the French capital, Paris.

The attacker had beheaded the teacher with a knife at around 5 pm local time on Friday. The news reached the local police only after the attacker fled.

Police also shot the attacker. The name of the attacker has not been made public.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the teacher of history and geography showed a cartoon of Charlie Hebdo magazine while teaching about freedom of expression in the classroom. It was a cartoon of Prophet Mohammad.

Earlier this month, some Muslim parents complained about the teacher.

French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanker tweeted that the attack on teachers was an attack on France.

He says Islamic terrorism can only be fought with unity and determination. President Emmanuel Macron visited the scene and said Islamic militants had attacked.